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Norris issues brutal warning to McLaren: “One of the hardest cars I’ve ever had to drive”

When a Formula 1 driver strings together a streak of pole positions and commanding race victories, the natural assumption is that their car is perfectly dialled in and driving like it's on rails. But Lando Norris is completely shattering that illusion for McLaren fans as the grid prepares for the United States Grand Prix. Despite an incredibly strong run over the summer that saw him ... Keep…

Norris issues brutal warning to McLaren: “One of the hardest cars I’ve ever had to drive”

McLaren has decided to open its vault and sell five extraordinary Formula 1 cars from its vast heritage collection. The cars, including two from Ayrton Senna's final title-winning season in 1991 and the vehicle driven by Brad Pitt during the filming of the successful F1 movie, will be sold through specialist dealer Tom Hartley Jnr. Hartley, who previously sold Bernie Ecclestone's grand prix collection, emphasized that these cars were built to be driven and raced, rather than simply sitting in storage.

The cars being auctioned include two 1991 McLaren MP4/6As (chassis 04 and 07), which were tested by Senna and raced by team-mate Gerhard Berger. Another car up for sale is Lewis Hamilton's 2012 MP4/27A (chassis 01), from the final season with McLaren, where Hamilton won four races and Jenson Button secured three. The 2021 MCL35M (chassis 01), driven by Lando Norris to third place in Monaco, also features in the auction.

This car was part of McLaren's 1-2 at Monza later that year, with Daniel Ricciardo taking the win. Additionally, the 2023 MCL37A (chassis 03), raced by Norris and Oscar Piastri, is included in the sale. This McLaren was driven by Pitt on the Circuit of the Americas while the F1 film was being shot, making it the newest race-driven McLaren F1 car ever offered to a private buyer, according to Hartley.

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown revealed that the decision to part with these iconic cars was made because keeping them in storage would be a disservice to their historical significance. He stated that McLaren wants to ensure these cars are used and enjoyed, thus keeping their heritage business active. While no official price has been set, reports estimate the combined value of the cars to be between £25 to $50 million.

Unlike the Ecclestone collection, which was sold to a single buyer, these five cars could potentially be sold individually, with no time pressure placed on the process. The cars will be meticulously prepared by McLaren before being handed over to their new owners.

Written by urgent.news from Motorsport.com's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

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